Shugo Chara: A Tale of Three Hearts!
by Inner Dragon2007
Summary: All Yakuso ever wanted was a friend; he's been bullied at school, avoided by some classmates, and has responibilities no kid his age should deal with. to put short, being the new kid SUCKS. But who knew all his hopes would be granted by...three eggs?
1. Chapter 1: All I Need is a Friend

I only read a little bit of this anime but I already wanted to write another story. Man, I got to stop doing this! Oh, well; enjoy the story!

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Shugo Chara!

A Tale of Three Hearts

Chapter 1: All I need is a Friend

"Hey, look at Yakusoku! Wanna bet I can get him to cry out for his mommy," a blonde boy sneered loudly, obviously not caring that the very boy he was talking about was nearby, sitting expressionlessly on his desk as he stared at the clock with a strange interest.

"Did you forget already? That guy's got no emotions; his mom probably got rid of him when she had the chance," jeered another boy along with his friend. The two had started to laugh as they pointed at the young elementary school boy, knowing that he wouldn't say a word. The rest of the class looked at the boy sympathetically, but in a way they were just as helpless; those two guys were like the bully bosses of the class. As much as they wanted to do something about those two, they didn't have proof that they were the ones that were causing trouble around class and blaming it all on Yakusoku. If only they could get him to speak up for himself, then they could get rid of those two and pick a new class rep. But from the first time he came to school, Yakusoku hadn't said a single word. Some people said it was because he couldn't speak; others said it was because everything that the two bullies said were true; either way, Yakusoku never said anything to anyone, no matter what. Luckily, the teachers never really gave him that much of a hard time; for them, it was really hard to believe that someone so quiet and well-behaved would do anything to annoy teachers. His homeroom teacher, Mr. Ganbaru, even tried to get Yakusoku to say something about the bullying he was getting on the school grounds. "You shouldn't let them treat you like that, Ochitsuku-kun. You should try to tell someone what they're doing," Mr. Ganbaru had told him one time. But all Yakusoku did was nod to his teacher as emotionlessly as ever. Soon the bell rang and it was time for all the students to go home, seeing that today was only a half a day anyway. But while everyone else were making plans with all their friends, Yakusoku was just getting ready to go home, looking as though he could care less that he wasn't invited to join anyone on their days off. One boy kept looking at him, wanting to get his attention, but he didn't notice. Then he felt someone tap his shoulder shyly and he turned to see the sister of the blonde boy looking at him apologetically. She seemed a little nervous so Yakusoku waited patiently for her to gather enough courage to talk to him; he knew he was a little bit unnerving to his classmates. "Um, Y-Yakusoku-san I-I'm s-sorry about D-Daikon and Gaki. I-I'll try to get them to s-stop," she stammered weakly, not looking directly at him as she had said this. Yakusoku looked at her quietly and just patted her head. He walked out slowly as soon as he could, not noticing that the girl continued to stare at him until one of her friends called back. "I know you feel sorry for him, Luna, but you really shouldn't make a promise that you're going to have a hard time to keep. I feel bad for him as it is," Her friend told the shy girl with a frown.

Luna looked sadly at her friend and said with a weak smile, "I get the feeling he knows that. I hope he speaks up for himself soon; I don't want him to leave because of Daikon. He looks alone as it is."

Her friend looked at Luna with a slight smile and nodded in agreement. "It would be a little hard to go through class without him around. If only he could just be a little livelier, then he'd probably have more friends…"

"Big Bro-Bro, you're back from school already?! Didn't you have work today?" A little girl literally tackled Yakusoku the moment he walked inside the small dojo. She said all kinds of random things like "Do you have any friends yet" or "You should be out there playing with everyone else than doing household chores", but to be honest, Yakusoku was distracted as he saw a 18-year-old man walk toward him and smile a little softly as he held his hand out to a smiling Yakusoku. "I didn't expect you to come home so early either. But then again, it's a nice surprise. How's the man of the house been; did he miss me," The man said teasingly as he got the little girl off Yakusoku.

Yakusoku brushed himself and looked impishly at his older brother. "Of course I wouldn't miss such a lazy person like you, Mamoru." His brother laughed when Yakusoku made this comment and Yakusoku smiled as he grabbed his brother's hand playfully and began to tug near the kitchen. "Since I'm here, why don't I make you today's special? My treat; no strings attached." Yakusoku called the little brown-haired girl who tackled him and another girl, his age and with short, tomboyish style red hair, to help him get ready. "Sure thing 'man of the house'," The redhead said teasingly as she walked into the kitchen with Yakusoku and the little girl, who was swinging her hands back and forth as she held on his hand.

Yakusoku gave the redhead a mock scowl. "Don't make me hurt you Hikari."

Hikari smirked a little when she saw him playfully scowl at her. "Aw, you wouldn't that Yakuso-chan." She knew he hated it when she used that kind of formality for him; ESPECAILLY since he was not only her twin brother but because he was older than her by 5 minutes. "Because you know you wuv me, 'big brother'," Hikari cooed as she hugged Yakuso and sped off into the kitchen, with the little girl skipping happily behind her. Yakuso watched the two girls and then turned to his brown-haired, green eyed older brother. "How I am I related to them again?" Mamoru chuckled softly and just put a hand on his little brother's shoulder, leading him into the kitchen to get everything ready…

"This tastes great, Yakuso! Have you been experimenting with our food spices again," Mamoru said between big bites, wolfing down his food and getting ready to grab his fourth serving.

"Sheesh, Bro, where do you put it all away; do you have a second stomach we should know about," Yakuso asked in surprised, even though this pretty much happened every night his brother managed to come home.

Mamoru smiled widely at his younger brother, who was trying his hardest not to laugh at the fact that rice covered the side of his mouth. "Squirt, you don't know how much I missed your cooking! There is no chef that can even compare you!" He continued to smile as he turned to Hikari, who was eating at the same pace as Mamoru; you could practically see they were family. "So how is school for you, Hikari?"

"Eh, the usual; hang around friends, do school work, annoy the heck out of the teachers," Hikari added a little playfully.

"Figures she'd say that," Mamoru mumbled a little disapprovingly. He turned to Yakuso and tried to smile the best he could. "How about you, Yakuso; how was you're day?" Yakuso looked quietly at his brother and suddenly took an interest in the food spices he had on the table. This did not please Mamoru one bit. "You're still being bullied."

Yakuso didn't like where the conversation was beginning to; he could see his brother's temper beginning to rise. "Calm down, Moru; don't-"

"I CAN'T BELIEVE THEY'RE STILL AT IT; AFTER CALLING THE TEACHERS AND WARNING THEIR PARENTS, THEY'RE STILL AT IT!"

"-lose your temper," Yakuso finished lamely. He sighed as he turned to Hikari a little tiredly. "Tell Moru I'm going to bed; I'm not in the mood to hear any of this." Hikari seemed a little upset for some reason, but she nodded in agreement. Yakuso smiled slightly and went up stairs; he knew his brother wouldn't notice he was gone yet…

In his room

"Well, so much for a calm, family reunion," Yakuso sighed in exasperation as he fell tiredly on his bed. He stared at the ceiling a little dazedly, trying to remember how it all got to this. Then he saw the photo. "_Oh, yeah; that's why."_ Yakuso gingerly reached out to the photo and traced the bronze frame with the tip of his finger. "It's been 6 years, hasn't it Grandma," he murmured softly as he placed his finger on a kind-looking old woman in the picture. She had one of her hands on the shoulder of a younger Mamoru and the other one was resting on the head of a more childish Yakusoku; Hikari was holding on tightly to their Grandma's skirt as Yakuso looked a little happily at everyone. In spite of himself, Yakuso smiled; he remembered that Spring like it was yesterday; the cherry blossoms were very pretty and the nearby river seemed to glisten softly toward the sky. Yakuso sighed softly, place the photo back on his dresser, and walked toward the window. He opened it and stared at the night sky. "The stars are really bright tonight," Yakuso saw a small, reddish star with two other strangely colored stars; a large one that was emerald and a semi big one sapphire. This caught his curiosity instantly; it made him smile as Yakuso cranked his head to look at them a bit better. "Are you guys brothers or something…Well, do you mind being my lucky stars?" Yakuso smiled playfully and bent down in a formal sitting position. "As my lucky stars, you have to try and grant my wishes, right? Then please grant my wish." He bowed down to the stars. "Please, all I want is some friends; can you give me that courage to do that." He peeked from one of his eyes and began to laugh at himself; he felt like he was copying Pinocchio for a moment. "Well, don't trouble yourselves over it anyway. If anything, I don't mind if you guys became my friend…oh well; goodnight." Yakuso crawled tiredly under the covers smiling a little to himself. "Maybe I should have an alter ego or something; it would definitely make life more interesting," Yakuso mused to himself as he finally drifted off into a calm sleep…

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That's the end.! I know I still need some practice on writing first chapters. But I think it's okay for now. Please review you're opinions on the star so far. Oh and I could use help on what age the characters are; just in case I got it wrong


	2. Chapter 2: A Sudden Change

**Sorry it took a while. I had to get some ideas on this chapter. Hope you enjoy though!**

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**Chapter 2: A Sudden Change**

By the next morning, Yakuso felt a little better; the fight was in the past, his brother was most likely calm now, and he had the BEST sleep. Ever since he came to this place, at least. It was like he was sharing the same bed again; it was oddly really warm. And it still was. "Did Suzu sneak in my bed again,"Yakuso groaned slightly, referring to the little brunette he called his sister. It's not like he HATED that she went to sleep with him on the bed. Heck, he actually enjoyed having some company once in a while. But Mamoru didn't approve of it; he said that Yakuso shouldn't encourage her too much. "Okay, Suzu, you know the rules; you can't sleep in my bed. Bro will skin us alive; literally." He pulled off his silvery sheet, expecting to see his little sis snoozing away.

Instead, there were three, odd-looking eggs.

He stared blankly at the eggs for ten minutes……….And then he yelled so loud that the whole neighborhood practically woke up.

"Yakuso, you okay!? Why'd you yell!? Is there someone in that room!?"

Yakuso jumped out of bed and quickly locked his door; the LAST thing he wanted was to have his brother come in right now. "I-I'm fine; I just can't believe I forgot I have to go to school today! I thought it was Saturday," Yakuso said in laughter. But in his mind he was thinking, _"That's the best I could come up with?"_

There was a long pause from that excuse he gave his brother; Yakuso held his breathe and hoped for the best. "Y'know Yakuso, you don't have to go to school; I've been given a vacation from Dirk. He's worried about the situation you're in too; he said he'll call up the rest of the gang if it gets too out of hand," Mamoru told him softly.

Yakuso paused for a moment… "I'll be fine, Moru; I have to handle my own problems anyway."

There was another pause between the two brothers…. "Okay, but be careful today. If I even HEAR they put a finger on you- well, just get ready."

Yakuso listened to the faint footsteps as his brother walked away…and as soon they were gone, he went back to the eggs, calmly this time. "Okay, how the heck did you three get in here," Yakuso asked mainly to himself. He grabbed a science book from his bookshelf and began to read for a few minutes as he walked back to his bed. "There's no way I made you; guys don't have or lay eggs," He said as he shut the book. He went on the bed and laid down; he wanted a better look at them. They weren't exactly the most normal eggs he had ever seen; heck, they looked like Easter eggs to him. But the eggs were too warm to be that; it felt like something alive was in the three. That was enough to tell him they were different. What really caught his attention were the elaborate details on them. One was red and black with wild flames; another was midnight blue and silver with a calm, solitary river. The last one was forest green and earth brown with a strong, guarded forest. The only thing they all had in common were the dull "Xs" engraved under them. Yakuso picked the one with flames on it and gently traced the details, smiling slightly. "I don't know what will come out, but I'm guessing you'll be a wild little guy, huh?" For some reason, he felt a warm, aura surround him…or maybe it was his imagination? He shrugged it off. Yakuso looked at the other two eggs and picked them up as well, now cradling them caringly in his arms. He opened a small treasure chest and put the forest and the river egg inside. "I'm gonna take this little guy with me to school today; I get the feeling I could use a little 'fire' today." He smiled as he hid the two other eggs in his secret spot. "Don't worry; I'll take you guys AFTER I'm sure it's safe for you two. Don't get into too much while I'm gone." He smiled lightheartedly at this thought as he placed the red egg in a small, velvet case in his book bag, and left to school…

**While he was going to school**

Yakuso walked casually on his way to school. His sister had gone ahead of him as usual. So he was walking at his own pace to school as usual. Yakuso found it a bit odd; Hikari used to always walk with him to school. Yakuso stopped walking for a moment and looked sadly at his feet; did he do something wrong? "Yakuso-Chan, watch out!" Yakuso didn't turn to the call and just held a hand to stop the small soccer ball that had headed his way. He looked at it for a moment and smiled as he heard a pair of small feet running toward him. "Yakuso-Chan, can you play with us?"

He sighed as he turned to see a small group of 3rd graders running toward him with excitement. The smallest of the group, a boy with bright green, ran the fastest out all of them and grabbed Yakuso in a happy hug. "I get it; you're happy, Denki. But I don't really have time to play with you all today. Unlike you I actually have to work in class and at my job."

The little boy pouted at this remark. "You always say that. Just tell them to give you a break."

All the other kids said their agreements at once.

A small girl with pink hair and a pair of glasses wasn't as hyper as everyone else. She pushed up her glasses and gave Denki a disapproving look. "He's older than us, it's only natural he has to do more work than us Denki."

"Thanks for being a know-it-all, Nodoka!"

She ignored Denki's remark and smiled at Yakuso. "But it is true; you should come play with us one day. How about this Saturday?"  
That girl sure knew how to make a good bargain; sometimes it as just plain scary. "Sure thing." Yakuso took Denki off him and began to walk away. "Wait for you're teacher; I have to get going," he said as he began to walk away.

"BYE YAKUSO-CHAN! MAKE SURE TO KEEP YOU'RE PROMISE," The whole group shouted as he watched their teacher run toward them.

Yakuso just smiled as he continued slowly on his way…

**Yakuso's 1****st**** class**

"Well, looks like you didn't skip Yakuso; did you miss us that much," Daikon asked mockingly as he and Gaki once again crowded around Yakuso's desk. Mr. Ganbaru was out of the class longer than expected, so the two decided to pick on Yakuso for the fun of it. In short, it was a normal day.

That is, until something clicked in Yakuso.

Much to the surprise of everyone, Yakuso gave a smirk and for the first time, spoke to the two. "Of course I did; what other fat morons can I laugh at if you two aren't here?" Meanwhile he was thinking, _"What the heck!? I didn't want to say that! I was thinking it; but I didn't want to SAY it!"_

Every single student was both happy and down right terrified for Yakuso now. They were happy he finally spoke up for himself; but then again, the first thing out of his mouth was sharp, sarcasm that really seemed to get the two bullies angry. In hopes to calm both of them down, Luna stood between the three boys. Actually it looked like she was defending Yakuso from her brother. "P-Please don't f-fight, B-big Brother; y-you'll get in t-trouble," Luna stammered nervously as she stood closer to Yakuso.

Big mistake; it seemed to anger Daikon even more than before. "You'd choose some stranger over your brother!? What kind of sister are you!?"

Luna cringed a little until she felt someone stand in front of her protectively; Yakuso. She was a little surprised by the actions he was taking, but she was too scared of her brother at the moment to object. She gently held onto his shirt dependently; she was happy he didn't push her away. "Maybe it's the fact that her own brother is an arrogant bully; that makes her lose respect for you," Yakuso growled a little. But once again, his mind was saying something else. _"Okay, there's something wrong with my mouth; it's moving on its own!"_

Daikon was a little stunned by the sudden remark; even his own friend seemed a little taken aback by this. "D-Don't tell me how to treat my own sister! B-Besides, everyone in this class respects me!" He turned around expecting to get the support of his classmates; all he got were angry glares and crossed arms.

Yakuso in turn raised an eyebrow. "You don't look as popular as you let out. I guess it comes with the job of being the bully."  
"T-That's not true; I'm a caring guy! Everyone looks out for me!"

Yakuso could see his words were beginning to affect Daikon and decided to give him the finishing blow. OR at least, his mouth did; his mind was yelling at himself at this point. "Really, then when was the last time you ever cared about anyone other than yourself?" When Daikon didn't answer he smirked a bit. "Yeah, I figured as much. But I'm sure you'll have a lot of time to think it through now." As if on cue, three teachers, including Mr. Ganbaru and the two bullies' parents, came into the room and grabbed the kids. "You two have A LOT of explaining to do," Mr. Ganbaru said sternly as he held up a few pictures of them playing pranks and harassing Yakuso.

That's when it hit Daikon. "You little sneak; you were taking pictures the whole time! Why I oughtta!-" Daikon tried to grab Yakuso but two teachers managed to grab him and Gaki, dragging them both out of the room. Mr. Ganbaru turned back to Yakuso and smiled a little proudly as he gave him a thumbs up. Yakuso was a little surprised by this but smiled weakly and returned the thumbs up. As soon as the teachers were out of the room, Yakuso managed to talk on his own. "I'm sorry about that; guess I over did it, didn't I," Yakuso said a little meekly to his classmates as he scratched the back of his head. What happened next surprised him completely. Every single one of his classmates surrounded him eagerly and began to talk all at once; he wasn't able to understand it all, but they spoke happily. Everyone was smiling and some were giving him pats on the back and encouraging words. But he was still a little worried; he turned to Luna and gave her an apologetic look. Luna just smiled softly; that was enough to tell him she was okay with what happened. He looked back at the large group and smiled for the first time. Looks like his lucky stars did grant his wish…although; he wanted to know what the heck was going on…

**Fast Forward to the end of school**

"I can't believe this; what a day." Yakuso yawned as he began to walk down his usual route to his job. He was a little tried by the time school ended; he didn't expect the day to just fly by like that. But he was still a little anxious; he wanted to know what had came over him in class. "Could I be bipolar? That won't be good; it'll give Moru a heart-attack." He thought about it a little more and smiled. "Or maybe YOU helped me out," Yakuso said as he took out the fire egg from his backpack. "You really are chaotic, aren't you?"

The egg gave off a warm aura.

He smiled and softly began to sing a tune under his breathe

_Paper bags and plastic hearts,_

_All belongings in shopping carts,_

_It's Goodbye,_

_But we got one more night._

_Let's get drunk and drive around,_

_And make peace with an empty town,_

_We can make it right._

_Throw it away,_

_Forget yesterday,_

_We'll make the great escape,_

_We won't here a word they say,_

_They don't know us anyway,_

_Watch it burn;_

_Let it die,_

'_Cause we are finally free tonight._

Once again, that warm aura came back, except more intense this time. It seemed to enjoy the little song.

"You like that song, huh? You know, you seem like a free-spirit kind of…thing. I think, I'll call you Chaos, whatever you are," Yakuso said as he twirled the egg in his hand.

"Looks like you're spoiling that egg?."

He jumped at the sound of another person's voice and turned to see some high school boy right behind. He had night blue hair and was taller than Yakuso by a few inches; he seemed kind of cat-like in a way

At the sight of this boy, the egg gave off a different aura; a Threatening one.

Yakuso could tell something wasn't right; he took a few steps away from the boy. "Who are you? What do you want," Yakuso asked as he glared at the older boy. He instinctively held the egg closer to him.

The boy seemed amused by this action. "My name is Ikuto." He gave a dangerous, sly grin as he continued to talk. "And you have something I might want," He finished as he took a step toward Yakuso, eyeing the fire egg that the younger boy held in his hand…

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**Oh boy; looks like Yakuso is already in a bit of a pickle. Looks like you'll have to read the next chapter to know what ends up happening**

**Yakuso:...When you have that glint in your eyes it worries me.**

**ID:Hey, don't be mean; I'm just trying to put some suspense**

**Yakuso:...Sigh**

**ID: Come on live a little! Take some chances!**

**Yakuso:...huh.**

**ID: What with the huh?**

**Yakuso: Nothing; just thought it was kind of Deja vu.**

** ID: Predicting the furture are we? Oh, well just introduce the next chapter.**

**Yakuso:... Please come back for the next episode "Chaos Awakens"...I don't like the sound of that**

**ID: Stop being so catious for once. Oh well; please comment on this new chpater. and someone do me a big favor... WHAT ARE THEIR AGES!? I read the manga but it didn't tell me. Please, put it on the review part if anyone gets the chance! Bye!**


	3. Chapter 3: Chaos Awakens

**Yep this is the 3rd chapter. I didn't expect to write it at the moment but since some of you said please LOL, I couldn't help it. Before you read I need to tell you all 2 important things.**

**1: Ikuto and Yakuso are NOT gay; though I did find that review hilarious. I'm sorry for anyone who likes Yaoi but NO. I'm keeping my character a non Yaoi person LOL.**

**2: If you hadn't noticed already, this is an OC story that follows the original storyline with Yakuso the main guy and a interesting twist. Of course the characters will be in here; it just wouldn't be interesting without them**

**Well with that said, you can read the chapter now!**

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Chapter 3: Chaos Awakens

Yakuso followed Ikuto's gaze to his egg and immediately took a few more steps back. "I don't know who you are. But you make it obvious on what you're after." He took a few more steps as he tried to find a way to get out of this situation. "Why would you want my egg anyway?

Ikuto smirked. "Why are you so protective over it?"

"Because I want to know what kind of high schooler would come to all the way here to stalk little kids," Yakuso countered. Actually, it was his mouth acting on its own again. _"Great, you just made the situation much easier on you, Yakuso,"_ He remarked to himself as he began to run. He didn't look back to see if Ikuto was following him; in truth, he didn't want to know at all. Yakuso just wanted to keep running; he wanted to get him and his egg somewhere safe. Ikuto smirked at his attempt. "I guess I'll give him a few minute head start," He told himself as he called Yoru over.

**6 minutes later**

Yakuso had been running till his feet were completely numb. But he couldn't bring himself to stop. It didn't take long for Yakuso to fall back from impact when he crashed into someone.

"Did you really think you could get away?" Yakuso didn't need to open his eyes to know it was Ikuto was standing over, probably smirking at the sight of him on the ground. But it didn't hurt to hope against all reason. He opened his eyes to look at the person.

Nope; it had to be the cat guy; literally. Now Ikuto had a pair of cat ears and a tail to go along.

Yakuso managed to quickly get jump back to avoid Ikuto's quick attempt to snatch his egg. But he didn't count on 2 things.

He ran all the way to a VERY high bridge.

He was near the edge of said bridge.

Right as he backed away from Ikuto, Yakuso felt wind rushing over his body as he began to fall. Fear gripped him as he looked toward the ground; he could tell he wouldn't be able to survive the landing. He took a look toward the sky and saw Ikuto eyes wide; was he afraid or was it just him? "_Looks like I won't make it_." Yakuso looked at Chaos sadly. "I'm sorry; I couldn't even protect you," He murmured what he thought were his last words as he held the egg close and got ready for impact.

"It's my job to protect you anyway!"

Yakuso's eyes snapped open in surprise as he felt the fire egg begin to shake and saw a crack going through the middle of it, letting the creature in it peek out.

What came out was something he didn't expect at all.

A small human with crimson fiery spiky hair was looking at him through the egg shell with a fox-like grin. In fact, everything about this tiny guy was fox like. The bandit clothing, the fox ears and tail, the mischievous look in his eyes. Everything about him screamed 'fox'. "C'mon, enough with the funeral speech! Let's character change already!" The fox boy grinned happily as he managed to get out of his shell, amazingly floating above Yakuso somehow.

Yakuso stared blankly at him, trying his hardest to comprehend what was happening.

He was falling from a very high bridge. "Yeah, that's why we should character change now."

Some cosplay cat guy named Ikuto had chased after him because of his egg. "Oh, so that's the stalker's name!"

A fox had just hatched from his fire egg. "Actually, I'm considered a kitsune, but we'll go with that."

And now it was commenting on every single thing he was thinking. "Hey, if it makes you feel better, you're not going insane."

Yakuso looked at the fox with a raised eyebrow. "Isn't that what the imaginary character usually says?"

The fox scratched one of his whisker marked cheeks. "True, but either way, you should try to believe me."

"Why?"

"Because if you don't character change with me now, we'll both be as flat as pancakes and as dead as doornails," He answered bluntly."

Yakuso looked back and saw that the ground was getting really close.

"Actually, scratch that; YOU'LL be as flat as a pancake and as dead as a doornail. I can actually fly, so I'm in no danger."

He looked back to see the fox grin proudly at this. Then he looked back toward the ground; it was even closer than before. Yakuso looked back at the fox and gave him a small, slightly trusting smile. "Then you better help me live, Chaos." He held his hand toward Chaos and watched as the fox flew toward it. Yakuso felt as though something deep inside was beginning to burn and then everything was a blur…

**At Night in Yakuso's House**

Yakuso slowly began to open his eyes and tried to rise from his bed but then he felt something warm on his chest. He looked to see his one and only Chaos curled drowsily on him; he was twitching occasionally and letting out a low yip. It seemed like he was going to say something. "If you try to hurt Boss again, I'll hunt, you pervy cat," He yipped angrily and kicked one of his feet as though he was sprinting. Yakuso was surprised by this but began to smile warmly. He looked curiously at one of Chaos' ears twitch to the side. _"Is this a dream or is he real," _Yakuso thought and touched the ear.

Chaos was real; he just felt too warm to be fake for one thing. The other was he jumped up at the touch of Yakuso's finger. The sight of Yakuso seemed to make him very happy either way. "Good thing you're awake Boss! I was worried that little scrap on the bridge was too much for you! But then again, if you couldn't handle that, I wouldn't be calling you Boss!"

Yakuso took a while to take in what he had said; for a little guy, he kind of talked loud. "Mind filling me in with the details of what happened," He finally managed to say.

Chaos looked a little surprised. "Oh yeah. Well, after we character changed, we landed softly on the ground and jumped up to meet the cat guy head on…"

_**Flashback**_

_Ikuto watched in surprised as a new Yakuso jumped back on the bridge. And he didn't seem too happy. "Okay, Pervy Cat, let's see what you're made of now," Yakuso said as he cracked his knuckles. But at the same time his voice had changed. It was blending in with his and Chaos's voice. There was something different about this character change but Ikuto couldn't put his finger on it. Maybe it was because the boy's hazel eyes were now a deep sapphire shade and his violet hair had red streaks going through. Not to mention the black whisker marks that were now on his cheeks. Ikuto didn't have enough time to think; Yakuso had charged at his and flame was circling his fist as he tried to hit him. Ikuto managed to dodge the flame fist before it even reached him. "Hah, so much for character change. You were better off without it," He sneered as he landed on one of the railings gracefully. _

_Yakuso just smirked; Ikuto was caught off guard from that. "Who said I missed in the first place?" He once again punched, this time without chasing after Ikuto. Much to Ikuto's surprise, the flame from Yakuso's fist shot right toward him. Ikuto tried to dodge it but ended up getting hit by a other flame shot, probably the one he sent earlier. Ikuto took a few steps back now; this couldn't be a normal character change. He hadn't heard of a character change that allowed the owner to use elements. He would have to retreat for now._

"_I had fun, Kid; we should do this again sometime." With those words said, Ikuto ran off._

_The fused Yakuso thought about chasing after the cat guy, but that's when he felt it. The character change was beginning to weaken; if he tried to go after him now, he would most likely end up unconscious in some unknown place. "Okay Boss, you lead the way home." Yakuso listened absentmindedly to Chaos's voice and began to leap toward the way. But he could've sworn he saw some blonde boy with a crown watching his every step as he ran…_

_**End of Flashback**_

"You were lucky no one was home at the time; if they saw you, they would've been suspicious about how you looked at the time. But we ended up getting out of the character change just as you got to the bed anyway. Not that I can blame ya Boss; that was the first time you've probably experienced character change with someone like me," Chaos remarked with a smirk.

Yakuso closed his eyes for a while. Then he opened them up again. "What exactly are you?"

Chaos smiled. "A Guardian Character; what else?"

"Why are you even here?"

"Because you wanted us to come."

"And by that you mean," Yakuso edged him on. He really wanted to get the details straight, no matter how dream-like this was.

Chaos thought about a way to explain this. "Well, as a person grows, they begin to want to change and make wishes that involve a change of character. You know, like a shy person that wants to be out-going, a strict person who wants be more laid-back, and so forth. It's our job to help you become what you wanna be; we're guardian characters. We can fuse with you, act for you, and make you do stuff you couldn't do before."

"I see." Yakuso looked at the treasure chest where the other two eggs were. "Then why do aI have THREE of you?"

"Because we like you; that's the only reason gonna tell you for now." Chaos noticed Yakuso's frown. "You have to figure out the rest on your own. For now, let's nap already! I'm really tired."

Yakuso watched as Chaos crawled on him and curled on his chest again, his tail covering over his face a little. "Hey Chaos… do you have a real name I should call you?"  
Chaos peeked through one eye and smiled sleepily. "I never had a name till you called me Chaos, Boss. I wouldn't have it any other way."

Yakuso watched the little guardian character fall asleep before he decided to rest as well. Before drowsiness completely took over, he couldn't help but wonder: What did Chaos mean when he said he didn't have a name till Yakuso gave him one….

**In an unknown place**

"So you are saying that this boy has the ability to use elements as he pleases?"

Ikuto shook his head and corrected the person. "He doesn't seem to have a complete grasp on his abilities. But other than that, yes"

The person looked to Ikuto and a small cat guardian character with an evil grin. "Even so, a boy like that could be quite useful." They turned to the other people around them. "Keep your out for the boy Ikuto spoke of! I'm sure he would make an excellent member of this company…"

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**Wow, Yakuso just loves to attract unwanted attention huh? In the next chapter another character will actually be appearing soon, along with Yakuso meeting a Guardian that doesn't belong to him. Hoped you enjoyed! Please, Continue to R and R! Oh, and I would personally like to thank KyokoYami, Funabisenu, and the other people who decided to review their opinions continously. As for the rest of you, thanks for at leat reading it I guess LOL. See you in the next chapter!**


	4. Chapter 4: A New Friend

**I wrote this fanfic for the fun of it! I didn't think I would get so popular! You don't know how happy that's made me. And seeing that people are reviewing, can you guys answer something for me. HOW DOES MY FANFIC SOUND LIKE A YAOI!? I seriously can't figure it out and would like it if someone told me! Now just enjoy the story**

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Chapter 4: A New Friend

"Aw, c'mon Boss! I wanna go back to school too!" Chaos kept flying in circles around Yakuso's head as he continued to protest against the boy's decision.

Yakuso would hear none of it though; today was a new day for both him and his new-found Shugo Chara. But the last time he took Chaos to school, Chaos messed around with his original nature, and that was when he was still an egg. Who knew what could happen now that he was out. "No way; I don't want you messing around with my personality," Yakuso said flatly as he slung his backpack over his shoulder.

Chaos pouted. Then he saw the chest where the other two eggs were and he smiled, his ears perking up a bit. "Alllrrright, but if that cat guy comes to take us away again, I'll just tell the others it was all your fault."

Yakuso stopped walking and turned to Chaos. "Maybe you're right! What was I thinking?" Yakuso quickly walked back and opened the chest, grabbing the two eggs from inside. "Well, take good care of yourself Chaos! I'll send you some souvenirs," Yakuso called back cheerfully and began to leave.

"THAT"S CRUEL, BOSS," Chaos cried as he quickly flew to Yakuso and grabbed his shirt, despite the fact that Yakuso could brush him off.

Not that he did; Yakuso just looked back at him boredly. "Honestly Chaos, do I look like I was born yesterday? You should be more creative." He held back a laugh as he watched Chaos pout stubbornly. "But you do have a point; I can't take my chances with a guy like that around. If he went after you, he might come after these two too."

"Then can I PLEASE come along? Please, please, please, please, please-"  
Yakuso stood there and crossed his arms; Chaos would get tried eventually.

**7 minutes later**

Apparently Yakuso was wrong; Chaos was already on his 40th 'please'. And it was annoying the heck out of him. "Alright, I'll take you!"

Chaos stopped and smiled widely; his eyes shining and puppy dog like. He sped up to Yakuso and rubbed against his cheek, making a purring sound in his throat. "Thanks Boss! You won't regret it!"

Yakuso sternly pointed a finger at the fox Shugo Chara. "BUT if you mess around with my character in any sort of way, I'm gonna send hounds after you! Got that? It also means don't go getting seen by anyone either!"

Chaos gave Yakuso his trademark fox grin and saluted playfully. "You got it Boss!" Then, to Yakuso's surprise, he spoke more seriously. "But only people with other Shugo Charas can see me. Everyone else can't really sense us. There have been times children have been able to see, even touch us. Adults don't even know we're around; their senses are most of the time pretty weak. So I'm safe as can be. Well, not from the Pervy Cat; he has a Shugo Chara, so he can see me as clear as day."

Yakuso's head shot up to Chaos as they walked down the stairs to the living room. "Wait, he has a Guardian Character too?"

Chaos nodded. "Yep; he sure does." He rested himself on top of Yakuso's head. "But you know, you can just call us Shugo Charas. Guardian Characters is such a long title; keep it simple." Yakuso didn't answer and just stuffed the fox Shugo Chara into his shirt pocket. "HEY!? WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA!?"

Yakuso hushed him and walked into the living room quietly. He peeked inside; no one seemed to be around. He began to sneak in…and then flipped his brother to the side. "Can't I wake without having a training session early in the morning," Yakuso asked as he watched Mamoru get up and brush himself lightly off.

"Well, you need to keep your skills sharp no matter what. Who knows when you-"

"Want to become a yakuza," Yakuso finished jokingly.

Mamoru scowled at him. "No, when someone wants to go after you."

"Or if my brother wants to be a yakuza gang leader again," Yakuso remarked again.

That resulted to a whack on his head. Not that it was hard; it was just Mamoru's way of showing the sarcastic Yakuso that he was still the adult. And he planned on reminding Yakuso that he still had seniority in the house. But as quick as his seriousness showed it vanished and was replaced with a wide smile. With one simple swipe of his arm, Mamoru caught his little brother in a headlock and playfully gave him a nuggie. "And I got a message from school; apparently you finally spoke up for yourself." He stopped giving the nuggie and gave him a big bear hug, anime tears of pride coming soon. "Oh, you don't know how proud I am! My little brother's finally growing up!"

"Yeah-happy-you're-happy! Moru -can't-breathe," Yakuso managed to gasp out.

Mamoru let his brother go and laughed. "I went ahead and told the rest of the gang! They were so ecstatic when they heard you were! They actually sending gifts to you; I think it will reach by tonight!" Mamoru laughed when his brother groaned. "Kid, you know my buds consider this family as their own, especially when it comes to you!" He ran toward the kitchen and called back, "I'm making breakfast today for everyone as a treat! Just sit back and relax!"

Yakuso had a huge sweatdrop and sighed as Chaos flew out of his pocket, gaping at him in amazement. "Is he really a yakuza gang leader?"

Yakuso shook his head. "He WAS a yakuza leader; but not anymore. You heard him talk about the 'rest of the gang' right? He means it; they are all former members of it."

"Did they ever kill anyone," Chaos asked with interest.

"Hahahaha! No not really; they never even hurt a fly! They were more like local night patrollers than some gang. Though it didn't go good for their résumé until the work people understood. When I was a kid, they would sometimes take me out on their motorcycles around the place," Yakuso answered his Shugo Chara.

Chaos rested himself back in Yakuso's pocket. "He's officially my idol."

Yakuso rolled his eyes. "Of course he is."

"What does he do now anyway?"

"My brother does a lot of traveling business, visiting places and experiencing what things are like around the world. He's usually busy so we all try to spend as much time as possible with him." Yakuso began to walk in the kitchen. "C'mon, let's go help Moru with the cooking; you need some kind of exercise to make sure you don't try character changing with me at school anyway."

"But I thought he said to leave the cooking to him."

"Hah, yeah right! The last time he cooked for everyone, we were all sick for weeks! I don't think my stomach can take anymore of his 'experiments'," Yakuso laughed and went inside the kitchen, just in time for the explosion…

During the walk to school

"Looks like you're gonna have to buy a new oven now, Boss." Chaos flew in circles once again around Yakuso's head as they walked close toward the school. Yakuso was a little uneasy about Chaos being out of his pocket and flying in the open, but after a few kids passed by without noticing the hyper fox, he let it slide. Still, he had to admit, he was getting dizzy watching Chaos going around his head over and over and over again. "Can't you stand still for a second; you're making me dizzy Chaos."

"Nope, I can't," The fox Shugo Chara answered cheerfully.

"Why?"

Chaos smiled in pride. "The longest I've ever been able to stand still was 5 seconds. The only time I don't ever move is when I'm sleeping."

"_In other words, I have to deal with him until he gets tired_," Yakuso thought in exasperation. _"This is going to be a VERY long day."_

"_**It's not as bad as it looks; you actually get use to it eventually."**_

Yakuso eyes widened from the sudden response and instinctively looked at Chaos.

"_**It's not him messing with you. It's me; the other Shugo Chara**_," The voice answered soothingly.

Yakuso saw that Chaos was ahead of him and awkwardly began to respond to the voice._ "By 'the other Shugo Chara' do you mean the forest one or the one with the river?"_

"_**The one with the forest. Do you mind taking me out for the moment; I want to talk with you."**_

He obliged to the forest Chara's request and took it out of hid backpack, holding it gingerly in his hands. He was a little surprised to see that there was a kind of abandoned castle on it. _"Okay, I know I haven't seen a castle when I looked at you before_," Yakuso commented in his thoughts.

The Shugo Chara laughed good-naturedly when he heard the remark. _**"Our scenes on the eggs can change when we want them to. It is either affected by our moods, conditions, or if we just want it to look different. But aside from that I want to thank you."**_

That caught Yakuso completely off guard. _"Um, did I do something worth for thanks?"_

The Shugo Chara chuckled. _**"You became a friend to…Chaos. Wow, I guess I'm still surprised he finally has a real name. But it's a good one; that name really matches him well."**_

Yakuso looked up back at Chaos to see him making face at a passerby. Then he went back to questioning the forest egg. _"Why didn't he have a name to begin with?"_

"……_**We are…special Shugo Charas…that is all I will tell you for now. But I will say this…very few others know what our lives used to be."**_

He could tell that it was a tough thing to talk about for the Forest Chara so he let it slide. Though he still asked it questions. _"What did you call him if he didn't have a name?"_

"_**Oh, we called him Kitsune; we each had some kind of alias name to call each other."**_

"_Well that makes sense."_ Yakuso looked at the egg wonderingly. _"Since you're talking to me, does that me you're the next one coming out?"_

"_**No; I think it's best if I stay in for a little while longer…But the 'river one', as you call him at the moment, is thinking about getting out of the egg today,"**_ he answered Yakuso thoughtfully.

Yakuso was amazed and took out the river one and held it in his other hand. Like the forest one, the river egg had a different scene on it now; it had a full moon and a lot of stars out above the river. _"When?"_

The Chara laughed when he was asked this. _**"His exact words were, 'when I feel like it'".**_

"_Well, he likes to take his time."_ He looked at the other egg expecting a remark. All he got was silence. _"Not much of a talker; that's a surprise."_

"_**Oh, he talks; he's just a little shy right now. Give him some time; he just might strike up a conversation with you today. If you gain his respect, at least."**_

"_How will I know he's the one that changes my character?"_

The Shugo Chara seemed to think about this for a moment. _**"When you express yourself openly." **_It seemed to sense Yakuso's confusion and answered warmly, _**"You'll understand when it happens. *Yawn* But I'm tired at the moment, so I'll talk to you some other day."**_

"_Wait!"_ When Yakuso could sense the Forest Chara was still there, he asked it one last question_. "Are you trying to hint me in about your life; is that why you have an abandoned castle on your shell?"_

There was a stunned pause but the Shugo Chara let a warm pleased aura blanket Yakuso as he chuckled once again. _**"That you have to figure out for yourself."**_

When that aura feeling faded, Yakuso knew that the Shugo Chara was done. "For now, I'm gonna guess he's a riddle Chara who is meant to confuse the heck out of people. Am I right or am I completely off," Yakuso asked the river egg as he placed the forest one back inside the backpack.

"He won't talk to you unless you gain his respect, Boss!"

"Gah!" Yakuso fell on the ground in surprise when he suddenly found Chaos close to his face. He scowled when the fox was laughing his little tail off at him. "Congratulations Chaos! You actually nearly gave me a heart attack! Can't you warn me before you do that!?"

"Before who does what?"

"GAH!" Yakuso fell on the ground once again and found himself looking up at Luna, who had a shy smile across her face. "Please don't sneak up on me like that," Yakuso sighed as he got up and brushed himself off.

"YO YAKUSO-SAN! WHAT'S UP!?"

Yakuso soon found himself once again on the ground, this time face flat from a hard slap on the back. "….you know, maybe I should just stay here to prevent myself from getting further injures," He mumbled against the floor. He felt someone boost him up with ease and saw the girl that Luna always seemed to hang around. "Oh, you are Hannah-san right? Any special reason you had to knock me to the ground and break my back?"

She laughed as Yakuso rubbed his sore back "Hey, you should be flattered you're surrounded by a couple of cute girls," Hannah told him, sending a wink at her blushing friend. "But seriously, we just decided to walk with you today."  
"By 'we', you mean you decided to drag Luna-san into this and now you're going to walk with me for the rest of the year until we graduate to our next year."

Hannah beamed proudly. "That's exactly what I mean! Now let's get going," She told him as she locked one arm with Yakuso and other with Luna. "OFF WE GO TO GET OUR EDUCATION!"

"…I've never seen anyone this hyper about school around here," Yakuso whispered to Luna.

"Well, she's kind of-"

"Always energetic?"

Luna looked at him in surprise. "Well, yeah; how'd you know?"

"I had a childhood friend like that around my old hometown. I haven't heard from her in a long time though." Yakuso trailed off and looked to the side. Now that he thought about it, how were his old friends doing?

"Yakuso-kun, are you okay?"

He snapped out of his daze when he heard Luna's voice. "I'm okay, I was just thinking about something. I always get lost in my thoughts anyway."

"So you're like a girl daydreaming," Hannah piped up.

Yakuso scowled a little. "Nice choice of words."

"Actually I think she's got it; you do look like a girl in a romantic daydream," Chaos laughed as he flew close to Yakuso's ear.

"_You stay out of this,"_ Yakuso snapped in his mind. But as suddenly he felt Hannah go to a halt. Yakuso thought about asking why the heck they stopped until he saw the very reason why. Looks like the school guardians were doing their morning march just as they were going to class. But this was actually the first time he had seen them; he usually came earlier before everyone else.

"Then why were you late today, Boss," Chaos asked him.

"Gee, I don't know. Maybe it was because a certain Shugo Chara kept waking me up in the middle of the night with their bushy tail," Yakuso whispered in turn.

"…Oh yeah; I forgot." Chaos looked at the Guardians and suddenly his eyes widened in alarm. He quickly went into Yakuso's shirt pocket and sighed in relief. "That was a close one."

"What do you mean that was a close one…wait, so they-"

"We should talk about it later Boss."

Yakuso looked at the now cautious Chaos and nodded in agreement. He had already encountered a Shugo Chara owner not even a day ago and Chaos almost got stolen because of it. For the sake of the other two, it would be best to tone it down until he was sure about these guys. He wasn't going to actually go up to them; he was just going to let things flow and see what happens. Yakuso looked at the members of the group. He didn't really know their names except for the king of the Guardians, a blonde boy by called Tadase. "How the heck can a guy like that actually be the King," Yakuso accidentally thought out loud, a huge sweat drop coming down from his head.

Hannah turned to look at him and frowned. "He's pretty popular with the girls. If they heard you say that, you would've been hunted down and killed in a matter of seconds, Buddy."

"…G-Girls are scary," Was all Yakuso managed to say, his sweat drops increasing in numbers.

"But what made you think that in the first place?"

"Well, he doesn't look like the leader type to me. He seems even quieter than you typical 'king'."

"…You make a good point, but he manages to speak fine in front of people. You know how the old saying goes: 'there's more than meets the eye'. You should've heard all the stuff they said about you in class," She whispered to him.

"Hannah-san, we're in the same class; I've heard everything they said about me. I'm not stupid." Yakuso smiled a little proudly. "I personally liked the 'Ice Rogue' title I was given."

"Oh yeah! One kid came up with that because you looked so cold and aloof most of the time. The boy with a heart of ice; the lone wolf with a hunter's glare. Yep, that was a pretty cool title huh?"

"Who gave me that, anyway?"

"Some guy from the drama club; I think he was just trying to make you seem more dramatic."

"Excuse me, do you two mind? The guardians are coming around here," A snobbish voice interrupted. Both Yakuso and Hannah looked up to see a prissy rich girl staring down at them as though they were ants. She flipped her curls to the side. "The Guardians are making their entrance! You would do best to show your respect."

Yakuso looked up blankly. "Why should I respect someone I barely know?" Everyone's attention was immediately turned to him. _"Me and my big mouth."_ Yakuso could feel everyone's eyes on him, and that didn't make him feel anymore comfortable than before. It was making him freeze up.

The snobbish girl saw the slight cring he did and gloated ever so proudly. "For someone who talks big, you sure don't have enough guts to back it up."

Chaos' tail and ear fur bristled. He got ready to character change with Yakuso, even if it was against his wishes but then-

"Since when has it been against the law to voice your own opinions?"

Chaos looked up at Yakuso, who seemed a lot calmer now. Even if it was faint, Chaos also noticed a hint of gold in Yakuso's hazel eyes now. A smirk was soon across the fox Chara's face; looks like he could just sit back and watch the show now.

When the girl didn't respond, Yakuso continued to talk coolly and evenly. "I have no idea what's so special about them; I'm new around these parts remember? But you shouldn't talk so big yourself. I don't see you wearing that get up. If you really respected them, then you shouldn't be making fun of people just to make yourself feel high and mighty."

Everyone 'ohhed' at that point. Someone shouted out 'Now that's how to say it', but Yakuso was already walking away from everyone, making his way into school. Whatever was going on, he didn't care at this point. All he knew was that a calm essence took over him. A calm and earnest aura. When that feeling was gone he turned his gaze to his shirt pocket, where Chaos was resting idly inside. _"Chaos, did someone just character change with me? Someone other than you?"_

"Yep."

"…_you aren't going to tell me who it was?"_

"Nope."

Chaos wasn't about to let anything that would reveal the other Chara's identity slip out. Yakuso could tell that much, so he continued to walk absentmindedly inside school. While his attention wasn't focused on Chaos, the little fox snuck into Yakuso's book bag and went toward the river egg. Now the river looked a lot calmer. When he had lasted looked at his friend's shell while Yakuso was being bothered, the river's appearance was a little out of control. "Aw, you do have a soft spot for him."

"…_Don't misunderstand my motives. I was simply getting annoy with that snobbish woman. But if you character changed with him, with you being…you, the matters would've gotten worse."_

Chaos' smile just grew bigger than before. "Stop lying; you know you like him. I told you he was a good choice."

"_Sure, whatever."_

Chaos looked toward the reader. "Translation: looks like I'm gonna have to keep this kid out of trouble."

"_Who the heck are you talking to?"_

"The reader of course."

"_What's makes you think this is a story?"_

Chaos looked toward the sky. "I don't know, but I feel like there's someone out there, typing everything down, controlling our very existence."

"_Have you been watching those fiction movies again?"_

"…Maybe," Chaos answered, sifting his eyes side to side. He flew out without another word to his friend. There was just so much the river Chara could take of him. Giving his friend space might even convince the Chara into coming out, when Chaos gave more thought about it…

Yakuso was sleeping soundly under a tree, without much of a care in the world. Chaos, however, was bored out of his mind. "C'mon Boss! This is supposed to be your free-time, not your naptime! Go play some sports! Move! Do SOMETHING!"  
Yakuso peeked at Chaos tiredly from one eye. "This is how I always spend my free-time. But if you want to go wander around the school yards, be my guest," He told his Chara, waving a hand idly in the air.

"You'll let me?"

"As long as you don't get into trouble and stay as alert as you can. I don't want to end up with another person after you guys. And, unlike you, the others aren't out of their eggs, so they have no way to defend themselves." He rolled over in the grass, making Chaos jump off of his stomach. "If something goes wrong, contact me as quickly as you can."

"With my thoughts right?"

"That would be a good bet."  
"Okay, see you later then, Boss! I'll be back later!" Chaos saluted to Yakuso before gliding off.

Yakuso didn't show it, but he watched his Chara with slight worry. He could tell that Chaos could take care of himself, but he still couldn't help it. A sigh of relief came when Chaos went off without that many problems. Yakuso rolled over and stuck his hands into his backpack and grabbed the two eggs. Yakuso smiled at the two for a moment and then placed them close to his chest, allowing the eggs to be snug against him. "I won't let anyone hurt you guys. That's…a promise," He murmured slightly to the eggs.

There were only one aura response that he got. And it was questioning and doubtful.

Yakuso knew that it was the river Chara responding to him. The Forest Chara had a kind of friendlier aura compared to the river Chara, who didn't seem as trusting as either of his friends. But he knew much better than forcing someone to trust him when they barely knew what kind of person he was. "I'll leave it for you to decide." Yakuso tucked the eggs even closer to him and got ready to nap again.  
"Ugh, I'm soooo hungry!"

Yakuso opened his eyes and looked at his eggs. Nope; neither of them were out…which meant…he rolled over to his side and looked very blankly at a different Shugo Chara. It was some kind of neko person, very small like Chaos, and had the same kind of mischief written on his face. Maybe it was because of how alike nekos and kitsunes were in legends. The cat Chara looked at Yakuso with his big gold eyes and his black ears perked up the same way Chaos' would when he got some kind of idea. "Hey you got something I can snack? I don't need anything too big-" The cat watched eagerly as Yakuso was already pulling out a snack from his nearby backpack. He quickly snatched the chocolate chip cookie from Yakuso's hand. "Thanks a lot! You don't know how much I love this snack!"

Yakuso couldn't help smiling as he watched the little Chara begin to gobble up the cookie. He reached into his backpack to grab his capped drink container. He poured some of his strawberry milk into the cover and placed it in front of the cat Chara.

"Thanks a lot!" The Shugo Chara drank the strawberry milk thirstily. When he was done, he turned to the boy who was generous enough to share the treats he had. "If you can see me, then you have a Shugo Chara too, huh?"

Yakuso froze for a moment. He couldn't believe he forgot what Chaos had told him! No point hiding it now; the cat obviously knew. "Yeah, but he's a little away at the moment." As he told the Shugo Chara this, he pushed his two eggs inside his backpack, zipping it up quickly.

The cat Chara smiled. "Well, as thanks for letting me get a bite to eat, I'll introduce myself! The name's Yoru! What's your's?"

"Yakusoku Ochitsuku." He reached out and shook Yoru's small paw. "What are you doing around here anyway? Does your owner go to this school?"

The cat Chara yawned. "Nah; he just let's me wander around whenever I feel like it." He peeked at Yakuso through one eye. "What about you? Not playing anything or hanging around your friends?"

Yakuso laid down in the grass. "Don't really have any friends to hang around with. And I'm not good playing with anyone my age."

Yoru looked at him a little surprise, but grinned mischievously as he crawled on Yakuso's chest. "You sound like you need a friend. Want to meet my owner? You two could probably get along well, being independent and all." He paused. "So what does your Chara help you with?"

Yakuso looked blankly at the cat. "Actually, I don't really know. Probably helps me take more chances…I think. What do you do for your owner?"  
Yoru beamed proudly. "Freedom."

"Freedom?"

"You got it; I give my owner freedom."

Yakuso thought about that for a moment. It made a lot of sense; cats were animals that lived their lives the way they wanted, with no help from humans. When he looked at Yoru again, he saw the cat sniffing the air. "What's up, Yoru?"  
"Is it just me, or do you smell something fruity in the air?"

Yakuso looked at Yoru a little weirdly. But then sniffed the air too. Even someone without the sensitive smell of an animal could catch a whiff of this in the air. "Yoru?"  
"Yeah?"

"Does the fruit you're smelling happen to be strawberries?"

"Yeah."

"Then you aren't smelling things." Yakuso took another good inhale of the sweet scent. It wasn't from a fruit exactly; more like something a girl would put on herself to catch a guy's attention.

"Hey, let's go check it out!" Before Yakuso even had a chance, the Shugo Chara did something that managed to somehow tug him forward. And the next thing he knew, Yakuso had bumped into someone and both were on the ground. He groaned and opened his eyes.

A girl a little younger than him stared back with confusion and embarrassment. She had pink hair with eyes that reminded him of the summer trees back home. Her clothing style was that of a rebel, but Yakuso couldn't see a connection between that and the person he was looking at.

"Not to interrupt your little moment, but you might want to take a closer look at the position you two are in," Yoru whispered into Yakuso's ear.

He took the cat's advice and soon his face was even redder than the girl's. He was hovering over her body, his face only a few inches away from her's. Yakuso got up quickly and saw her backpack nearby. He brushed the dirt off of her, handed her backpack to her, and ran off before she could even mumble a word. Yakuso went right to his usual spot and fell to the ground. This had to be the most energy draining day that he had around this stupid school.

"Hey, it's not so bad. At least you learned something," Yoru sad.

"And what's that?"

"You're going to be the guy who goes on top." The cat Chara laughed and dodged the hand that Yakuso attempted to whack him with. "I think I like you, Yakuso. I'll come back tomorrow for some more snacks!" Yoru ran off into the distance and was soon only a tiny speck far away. Yakuso wanted to go after him, but following the cat would be like trying to run past a cheetah at that point. He walked back to his spot and went back to napping. He was going to have to ask Chaos about this…

**During Art Class**

"Well, I don't really know if it's possible to character change with someone else's Shugo Chara, Boss. I never really thought about that."

Yakuso frowned a bit as he grabbed his sketchbook from the teacher's desk. He had a pretty strong suspicion that the only way Yoru was able to move him forward was through the whole character change thing. But he wasn't a Shugo Chara; he didn't know how the process exactly worked. He was hoping that Chaos could give him some thoughts about it, but even the fox seemed doubtful about a character change with a Shugo Chara that didn't belong to the person. Yakuso sat down and looked at the bowl of fruit rather vaguely. The substitute for the art teacher was making them do still life…of a bowl of fruit. Yakuso frowned at the lack of creativity. _"This is something I learned to do in grade school. It's almost embarrassing."_ His thoughts traveled back to the girl he had met during his free-time. Even if he had just walked past her, Yakuso would've probably remembered how she looked, a talent he sometimes wished he didn't have. Her long pink hair that had the same glow as a cherry blossom, her shy eyes that seemed a little scared at the closeness they both were having at the time. Yakuso could remember it down to her petite figure and the clothing that, to him, hid her gentle, docile nature. But what he recalled the best was the intoxicating strawberry smell that came to him like drifts in a breeze. That whole time, Yakuso didn't realize he was drawing on his sketchbook until someone right next to him said, "Wow! You're really good at drawing Yakuso!"

He snapped out of his thought and looked in horror to see that he had been drawing the whole time. What made it worse was WHO he had been drawing. The boy next to him took a better peek and grinned. He looked around Yakuso's age with tanner skin and an appearance that screamed 'rebel' even more than the girl's. Only difference was that it looked more like the truth for this kid. "So, you like to draw anime style huh? You did pretty good. Nice that you drew a more realistic side of her. And the fantasy background is a fine touch too." He held out his hand to Yakuso. "My name's Len. Future fantasy writer at your service."

Yakuso hesitated, but took the outstretched hand. "Yakusoku Ochitsuku; honored to make your acquaintance."

"Yeah, I know who you are. Just wanted to make sure I wasn't dreaming. So you finally are talking! You caught the class by surprise, you know."

Just from hearing Len's voice, Yakuso knew he was the one cheering him on during those times. He took a glance at his picture and was pretty impressed with his work. He had drawn the girl facing herself, in a mirror, other-world way. The anime version of her had the look of a rebel, as her clothes would suggest. But the more realistic version of her seemed to be more on the gentler side. While one side was like night and the other day, they both had feathers floating around in a dreamy way.

"But you know, that looks a lot like Amu. Have you met her before?"

"Amu?"

"I guess you haven't. Can't blame ya though; she's not even in our class." Len thought about it and grinned widely. "From what one of my friends from her class told me, Amu is a tough rebel around here."

"Does anyone have proof of that?"

The grin on Len's face went a little smaller. "No, not really. No one's had the courage to actually go toward her."

Yakuso took out a toning pencil and worked on the drawing. "Then it could just be a case of a huge misunderstanding."

"They say she talks and acts like a rebel."

"That could just be her way of defending herself. Sometimes, shyness can be mistaken for all kinds of things. Rudeness, grumpy behavior, or, in this case, a rebellious nature. It happens a lot."

"…You know, you're reminding me a lot about Amu right now."

Yakuso shot a glare at him. "I remind you of a girl?"

Len shook his hands frantically. "No, no! That's not what I meant! I mean, you might be right. Maybe there's more to Amu than meets the eye. Kind of like you."

Yakuso now looked a bit blankly.

"Everyone used to think you thought you were passive and aloof. But you're a lot more out spoken about how you feel. And you look like you can understand other people's feelings. What I don't get is why you didn't talk out in the first place."

Yakuso got out of his shock and shrugged. "It's a lot easier to think than to talk."

"Huh, a bounty hunter hero."

"What?"

"You're like those bounty hunters in fantasy stories. The one who has no past and an aloof personality that belies his caring ways. The guy who had to harden at a young age, but still holds on tightly to his morals. He just doesn't like people getting too close," Len explained.

Yakuso laughed at Len's enthusiasm just as the bell rang. He ripped out the picture in his school sketchbook and put it in his backpack. Before he left, Yakuso turned to Len. "You forgot one thing."

"And what's that?"

Yakuso smirked a bit. "No matter how many friends he meets along the way, the bounty hunter still flies solo." He walked out of the room in a casual walk, hearing Len's laugh even from the distance…

Yakuso walked a few more steps until he was dead certain this time. Someone was following him. Chaos had warned him just as he left the school, now keeping himself hidden in the boy's shirt pocket. That could only mean one thing. The person following him was a Shugo Chara owner as well. He paused calmly and didn't turn around. "I know you're there. Now show yourself!" He demanded.

A shadowy figure began to come out of the shadows and stood a good couple of feet away from him.

"So it's you again," Yakuso glared cautiously, holding something in his left hand…

* * *

**Yay; to actually get this far with at least one of my fanfics! Hope everyone continues reading. And thanks to those who have been reviewing since I wrote the beginning**


	5. Chapter 5: Deductions from the Shadows

**Chapter 5: Deductions from the Shadows**

"Honestly Denki, you don't need to hide; I already know you're there."

"But it's fun to do anyway!"

Yakuso shook his head tiredly, though he couldn't resist a smile as the group of 3rd graders came eagerly toward him, some of them holding small soccer balls in their hands. "Do you guys have a game already?"

"Wha-oh no, that's not it," Denki said, noticing what gave the older boy that impression "we were helping Sensei put some stuff away when we saw you." As those words left his lips, the little boy's eyes lit up in the same way Yoru's had when the treats were shown. "Since you're here already, you can play with us now right? You never go this way to work."

This was true; Yakuso had gotten a surprise day off by his boss, and he didn't really have anything else to do. And Chaos had kept his word; playing this sport looked like a good treat to give the energetic Shugo Chara. _"You do play sports right,"_ The young boy asked his Chara just in case.

"You kidding me? I LOVE'EM Boss!"

The exhilarated response was of no surprise to Yakuso. Still… "Then stay hidden for a while. I got a plan…"

* * *

The children were overjoyed with the accepted invitation, and their Sensei himself didn't mind letting them use the field for a few more minutes. Yakuso even found himself getting into the game as he gave tips and was constantly moving between teams to make things fair. But he wasn't completely focused on the game. _"Chaos can you sense where he is?"_

There was a pause from the Shugo Chara that Yakuso knew as a double check. "Yeah; he's not much of a hider."

_"Remember the plan, okay?"_ Once again, the young boy felt a warmth course through his blood that slowly began to burn much like fire but without the pain (thankfully so, since he was still unused to his chara's fiery nature). With intense focus he kicked the soccer ball-

Into an alley way.

"I did it! Score!" Even as these words left his mouth, Yakuso groaned mentally. If only he knew where exactly in his body that Chaos was lurking, he would've given him a good smack across the head. But the sensation of Chaos's energy soon left his body, and the boy had a feeling the Chara had caught on to his thoughts. Yakuso shook his head with amusement and ran to the alley to get the soccer ball…along with a good look at his newest stalker. When he got there, he saw an unconscious boy with orange locks, and a rather noticeable bump on his head. "You didn't kill him right," Yakuso asked his Chara uncertainly.

"Have more faith in me Boss!"

Yakuso shrugged lightly and took another note that the boy before him had the uniform of the Guardians at his school. That worried him greatly.

"Yakuso-chan! Where are you!"  
Yakuso could hear kids calling to him, but the sense of irritation stayed, wondering how many others would now follow him because of his Shugo Charas. The thought of this annoyed him so much that he decided to let Chaos have some more fun before we went back. "So, do you want to leave them a message?"

The fox-boy Chara grinned ever so impishly as he returned in control, engulfing his owner in the feel of burning flames….

* * *

By the time they had returned home, Yakuso was so tired that he went upstairs immediately, not bothering to cook that night. As he crashed on his bed, he began to realize that he had been getting really tired ever since Chaos came out of the egg. The young boy groaned: if one Shugo Chara was going to be this much trouble, he could only imagine what the other two would be like.

"They're not that bad; we all have different personalities you know," The fox Chara resorted.

"That doesn't help at all." Yakuso took a deep breath and opened one eye to glance at Chaos…who was fast asleep. _"You didn't hear a word I said, did you,"_ the boy though with a sweatdrop, which grew into many when he watched the fox crawl right on to his stomach once more.

"…It is a habit of his; you needn't waste energy straining yourself over it."

Yakuso was not afraid this time. Though this was a voice he never heard of before, the aura in the dark room was familiar: Questioning and doubtful. He craned his neck in the direction of the voice, though he could only make the outline of the small Chara. Like Chaos, he seemed to have animal ears.

"…I do not know what to think of you, as you have barely held us for a week. You seem to have harnessed Kitsune's abilities well, but that may be the reason attention is drawn to you."

Yakuso frowned, not sure what to think. "What you're saying is…a lot ofpeople are after me?"

"I would think," The Chara stated coolly "That recent events are revealing the facts well enough…that boy; he was one of the Guardians at you're school, was he not? How is it possible that one you've never talked to would know you harbor us?"

For a moment the boy was unsure himself. That is, until he dug into the memories of yesterday, recalling the face of the high schooler and the boy with the crown. "Are those two working together?"

"I am not certain myself, but I doubt it. If that had been the case, he wouldn't have kept hidden and helped him. But I have too little information to go on; I must gather more." The black form pointed to the closed window.

Yakuso furrowed his brow in worry. He carefully placed Chaos on a pillow, and went to the window to open it. The moon was gone and only one streetlight blinked from the sidewalk. "Be careful out there; it's more like the ones following me are interested in you guys."

"You insult me; I am not reckless like Kitsune." The Chara pulled out a pipe, twirling it in his hands. "Though you claim to be my Chief, you have done too little so far to convince me of your worth."

_"Chief, Boss…what's next Master?"_ Yakuso tried to picture that title in his mind, but the only image that came up was a pink haired girl with green eyes wearing a maid outfit. He shot down that thought down immediately.

"That girl is an excellent suspect as a Shugo Chara owner; I would advise you do not get involved with her just yet." The Chara put the pipe in his mouth. "By the end of this week, we will see if you're truly capable." The Chara left swiftly, giving the young boy no chance to ask any more questions.

Yakuso didn't leave the window that night. He sat there, contemplating the observant warning from his Shugo Chara, and the possible danger him and the other two were now involved in…

**In the Guardian's meeting**

Nadeshiko bursted in a fit a laughter the moment she saw Kukai's face. "Looks like someone failed the operation!"

The Joker could only smile sheepishly, scratching the cheek that said 'Stalker'. He wasn't really sure what happened during the mission; all he really remembered was waking up with a big headache and a lot of words scribbled on his face. "He's got a pretty good poker face; I really thought he was completely oblivious."

"Wow; first we learn he may have a Shugo Chara, and now you're using big words. This is a really weird day." Nadeshiko stopped laughing and got serious. "But I get the feeling we might've made things worse now. Not the best plan you've come up with so far. We might've made him even more suspicious. I'm aware that we need all the help we can get, but following him the way we did earlier just made our position worse. Didn't you tell us Ikuto had attempted to take his Chara yesterday?"

Tadase sighed at the revealation of the events. He remembered how he was heading home, only to run into an interesting scene: Ikuto taken down by a newly awakened Shugo Chara owner, who held flames in his hands of all things. He wasn't sure it was Yakusoku, as he was too far away to see the face clearly, but he acted upon a hunch when he saw the boy stare at them today with unusual focus. Kiseki himself said he sensed a Chara, but the crowd had been too thick to make a decent pin point. The King sighed; hopefully Yakusoku wouldn't report anything to the school about this. "I think...until we're abosultely sure that he has a Shugo Chara, we shouldn't pull anything else at the moment."

The two other members nodded in agreement. After all, while Yakusoku remained a enigma, they were more than positive that Amu Hinamori had a Chara that would help the group out well.

* * *

Yakusoku: (Taps foot, looking at Inner Dragon2007 with raised eyebrows)...

ID:...Don't give me that look; I was really busy for a while.

Yakusoku: A month is a while; you were gone A LOT longer than that.

ID:...I had a really bad writer's block, and school was really hectic for a while.

Yakusoku: (Still taps foot with raised eyebrows).

ID: OK I GET IT! I was gone for a really long time! I sorry, sheesh!

Yakusoku: Well I've heard it...but you have other OC characters that haven't yet.

ID:...Can you please say what the next chapter is?

Yakusoku: Keep an eye out for the next chapter 'A Man's Duty'. And welcome back ID.

ID: Yeah I feel so 'welcomed'


End file.
